My name is Nick Brown and I graduated in the spring of 2009 from Ohio State with a degree in marketing and a minor in design. Though my father is a native Ohioan, my mother is from Colombia, a place where my grandfather spent much of his life as an active community member and an advocate of education. During my time at OSU, I became part of the Hispanic Business Student Association and Phi Iota Alpha Latino Fraternity.
As I approached my senior year, I realized that something was missing from both my résumé and my personal life. I remembered an organization that my friend Julian Valencia told me about back in 2006. Through him, I was introduced to Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity and a member by the name of Francisco Lugo. Lugo told me about the power of the Latino community and of the importance of utilizing the Greek system as a tool for advancement. I knew the fraternity had a Colombian-themed flag (which caught my attention), that their fraternity pillars were five of the most well known revolutionary leaders in Latin America during the 1900s, and that they shared a Pan-American ideology. Though I didn’t know much about what the membership entailed, I recognized that this was an opportunity to develop both my leadership and organizational skills.
As a founding member on Ohio State’s campus, I helped establish the FIAT Club (Fuerza e Integridad A Todos) for membership exploration. Our first FIAT Meeting took place with advisors Frank Robison and Dr. Raul Herrera. Robison and Herrera displayed a passion for autism awareness, a love for education, and were pillars of extensive wisdom and guidance. To help earn incorporation at the Ohio State campus, we were advised by Greek Advisor Ryan Lovell to plan three events: a community service event, a diversity event, and a risk management event. We held an Autism Donation Drive, volunteered to pass out flyers at the Japan Spring Festival, and had a speaker from the Student Wellness Center discuss financial cleanliness. We eventually presented ourselves for membership to the Multicultural Greek Council and were accepted.
So why did I join Greek life? I could have joined a regular organization that was devoted to community service and ended it there, but after I learned about of the history of the fraternity, whose roots stem back to the late 1800s, I thought that this experience could be a good foundation to build my future upon. Today, my passion for our fraternity remains overwhelming. My narrow view of Hispanic identity has changed. I now appreciate Mexican music and have embraced the ideal of Pan-Americanism: the hope for the unity of all Latin American peoples. I now think of Don Simon Bolivar and wonder if I can be as arduously passionate as he was. I consider my business major and think of it differently; I wonder how I can get involved, politically and within the community, in the fight for Latino advancement. Still, I see many of my friends have yet to find a passion for something and can only hope that my enthusiasm for Pan-American unity rubs-off on them.
Unity must begin at the community level, which for us starts at the university level. To those who are looking to see change on campus, join a group and help us fight for more representation at Ohio State. Start writing to OSU administrators and demand better Latinos representation at Ohio State, where we remain underrepresented. Get involved in the cause, and consider Greek life as a vehicle for becoming active!
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